What is known as a steering apparatus for an automotive vehicle is a tilt/telescopic type steering apparatus capable of adjusting a tilt angle of a steering wheel and an axis-directional position of the steering wheel, corresponding to a physique and a driving posture of a driver.
Here, there is an idea that components of the tilt/telescopic type steering apparatus are disposed as close to a steering shaft as possible in order to ensure a space in the vicinity of knees of the driver. Based on this idea, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-191927 discloses a steering apparatus constructed such that support members disposed within a steering column are interposed between a pair of brackets and are displaced along tilt grooves formed in the brackets or along telescopic grooves formed in the steering column, and this caused the two brackets to get displaced in the same direction, thereby adjusting a tilt angle and an axis-directional displacement of the steering shaft supported rotatably with respect to the steering column.
Now, according to the prior art described above, the steering column is fixed by pressing one bracket against the steering column via an intermediate member. However, at this time, the other bracket is pressed via the support member, and this might cause an axis deviation of the steering shaft. A rigidity of the other bracket must be increased for preventing the axis deviation. However, this might induce rises both in weight and in cost. On the other hand, a presumable construction is that the two brackets are pressed from both sides against the steering column. However, this construction involves such a laborious operation that the driver must rotate two pieces of levers by hands, and there arises a problem in that the operationality declines. Also, there are demands for eliminating the causes of backlash, etc., occurring at the steering column.